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Alex Delvecchio
Canadian | birth_date = | birth_place = Fort William, Ontario, CA | career_start = 1950 | career_end = 1974 | halloffame = 1977 }} Alexander Peter "Fats" Delvecchio, born December 4, 1931 in Fort William, Ontario, is a former player and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. After playing a single junior league season for the Oshawa Generals of the OHA (during which he led the league in assists) Delvecchio joined the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League for the 1952 season, and helped the team to win the Stanley Cup that year. He would go on to excel both at centre and left wing for twenty-two full seasons and parts of two others, and was notable for his spot on the Production line with linemates Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. No player in NHL history played more games with just the one team. One of the true gentlemen in the game of hockey, he was a three-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy for combining good sportsmanship with excellence on the ice. Despite his impressive career, Delvecchio was never the Red Wings' leading scorer in a season. The closest he ever came was in the 1969–70 NHL season, where he was just 3 points behind Gordie Howe for the team lead. Following his retirement as a player in 1973—having, at the time, played the second most games and with the second highest assist and point totals in league history—Delvecchio served two stints as Detroit's head coach and then as General Manager, until leaving hockey in 1977 to go into business. He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in that year. At the time of his retirement, he ranked second in nearly every significant offensive category in Red Wings history behind only Howe. He has since been passed in most of those categories by Steve Yzerman, but still ranks second all-time in games played as a Red Wing. Career statistics Achievements * Retired ranked 2nd in NHL history in career Games Played (1549), Assists (825) and Points (1281). * Holds NHL records for seasons played and games played in a career spent with only one team. * Won three Stanley Cups with Detroit, in 1952, 1954 and 1955. * Delvecchio did not learn to skate until he was twelve years old, a remarkably late age for an NHL player. * Named a Second Team All-Star in 1953 (at centre) and 1959 (at left wing). * Played in the All-Star Game 13 times (in 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1967), a total surpassed by only five players. * Served as team captain for twelve years, a mark surpassed only in Wings' history by Steve Yzerman. * Remains 8th all-time in NHL history in games played and 27th in points scored. * Second in Red Wings history in games played; third in points, goals and assists * In 1998, he was ranked number 82 on ''The Hockey News''' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. * On November 10, 1991 his jersey, number 10, was retired by the Detroit Red Wings. * On October 16, 2008, The Red Wings unveiled a commemorative statue commissioned by artist Omri R. Amrany. Category:Born in 1931 Category:Detroit Red Wings coaches Category:Detroit Red Wings players Category:Hockey Hall of Fame Category:Lady Byng winners Category:Lester Patrick Trophy recipients Category:National Hockey League players with retired numbers Category:Oshawa Generals players Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:Detroit Red Wings general managers Category:NHL All-Stars Category:Indianapolis Capitals players Category:Retired in 1974 Category:Canadian ice hockey coaches Category:Canadian ice hockey players Category:Canadian ice hockey general managers